amaotonovel Chapter 201 Zhou Lixing's Shady Tactics: Poaching the Company's Core Artists
Chapter 201 Zhou Lixing's Shady Tactics: Poaching the Company's Core Artists
Three days is but a fleeting moment in the fast-paced city of Beijing.
Although Starry Sky Media's crisis was temporarily averted thanks to Su Zhentian's strong intervention, and even saw a surge in both its stock price and reputation, the real battle was only just beginning in the shadows.
In the CEO's office, Su Qingge was looking down at the national tour plan that the planning department had just submitted. This plan was the culmination of all her hard work over the past few days, and it was aimed directly at the company's three most popular performers.
"Bang!"
The heavy solid wood door was pushed open with such force that even the door frame shook.
Sister Hong rushed in like a whirlwind, her high heels clicking. She usually paid the most attention to her image, but at this moment she didn't even care about her disheveled hair; her delicate face was filled with undisguised rage.
"I'm so angry! These ungrateful wretches! They're a bunch of ungrateful wretches who can't be tamed!"
Sister Hong slammed the documents she was holding onto the large desk, her chest heaving violently, her breathing heavy with anger.
Su Qingge was startled, put down her pen, and frowned slightly.
"Sister Hong, what happened? Why are you so angry? Did something go wrong at the venue again?"
"I could fix the problem if it were a venue issue! The problem lies with the people!"
Sister Hong pointed at the documents on the table through gritted teeth, her fingers trembling with anger.
"Li Tian! Zhao Xu! And Wang Mengmeng! These three pillars of our company, whom we've just painstakingly promoted, have all just submitted termination notices to the legal department!"
"What?"
Su Qingge abruptly stood up and grabbed the document on the table in disbelief. The words "Unilateral Termination of Brokerage Contract Notice" in black and white stung her eyes.
"Why the sudden contract termination? The national tour is about to be officially announced next month, and tens of millions have already been spent on pre-conference promotion! Have they gone mad?"
"They're not crazy, they're just too shrewd!"
Sister Hong sneered repeatedly, her eyes filled with contempt and anger.
"That mad dog Zhou Lixing suffered losses in the stock market, and now he's resorting to underhanded tactics. He sent people to contact these three people privately, offering them exorbitant signing fees. He also promised each of them a leading role in an S-class blockbuster film, plus top-tier promotional resources across all channels!"
"What about the penalty for breach of contract?" Su Qingge gripped the termination letter tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white.
"All-inclusive by the Dynasty! Double the penalty for breach of contract! Cash settlement in one lump sum!"
Sister Hong's eyes welled up with tears of anger.
"Qingge, you know how tough it's been for Xingkong these past two years. When these three first joined the company, they were just marginal nobodys singing in bars. It was you who, under pressure from the board, poured money into them, and it was Lin Zhou who stayed up all night writing several hit songs for them, which is how we managed to elevate them to their current position as top-tier second-tier artists!"
"Now that they're about to reap the market profits, the Dynasty just throws out the money, and these three ingrates don't even bother to say goodbye, they just pack up and run! They're going to hollow out the foundation of our Starry Sky Media!"
Just as Sister Hong was cursing loudly, a series of chaotic footsteps suddenly came from outside the office.
"Sister Hong, don't get so angry. We're all adults. In the workplace, people strive for advancement, and people naturally move downhill. There's no need to get so worked up."
A voice with a slightly sleazy tone rang out at the doorway.
Su Qingge looked up.
Three young men and women, dressed in flamboyant attire and adorned with high-end luxury goods from head to toe, swaggered into the office.
Leading the group was Li Tian, the current top male singer at Starry Sky Media. He was wearing sunglasses and had a sly, self-assured smile on his lips, completely unlike the cautious and reserved person he used to be in front of Su Qingge.
Following behind him were singer-dancer Zhao Xu and Wang Mengmeng, a rising star who recently became famous for a sweet song. One of them was chewing gum with a disdainful look on his face, while the other was looking down at his newly done French manicure, as if this office, which had been the starting point of their dreams, was now just a trash can that could be thrown away at any time.
"How dare you show your face here?"
When Sister Hong saw these three people, she was so angry that she wanted to pick up a chair and smash it over their heads.
"Li Tian, last month you hit someone while driving drunk. Who used their connections overnight to cover it up for you? Wang Mengmeng, who personally taught you how to sing your hit song in the recording studio? Now you think you're all grown up and the world is too small for you, huh?"
Faced with Sister Hong's questioning, Wang Mengmeng rolled her eyes and affectedly tossed her hair.
"Oh, Sister Hong, that's a really harsh thing to say. We did learn a lot at Starry Sky, but we also made a lot of money for the company. Now, Dynasty Entertainment can give me the lead role in an S-level drama series, can Starry Sky do that? I'm already twenty-two years old, and my career is all about youth. I can't just waste my life with Starry Sky, can I?"
"Outlast them?"
Su Qingge looked coldly at the three young people she had once placed high hopes on, her voice as if it had been chilled to the bone.
"The tour plan is right here, and all resources are being allocated to you. When has the Starry Sky ever treated you unfairly?"
Zhao Xu chuckled and spat out the chewing gum in his mouth.
"President Su, let's be frank. Starry Sky Entertainment is indeed wealthy now, and we also have Mr. Su as our backer. But the entertainment industry is ultimately a game of capital. Dynasty Entertainment is a large and powerful company; can Starry Sky Entertainment compare to them in terms of resources and channels?"
"Young Master Zhou has spoken. As long as we go there, we'll immediately be treated like frontline soldiers. If we stay in the starry sky, what if Young Master Zhou goes crazy again and launches a sniping attack? Wouldn't we be buried with him?"
This is a classic example of "people die for wealth, birds die for food."
Faced with enormous profits and so-called top-tier resources, these three artists, who were already opportunists, did not hesitate to shed their hypocritical facades and reveal their ugly, profit-driven faces.
"Alright, stop wasting your breath on them."
Li Tian took off his sunglasses and casually tossed them onto the sofa.
He walked to the desk, placed his hands on the surface, and looked down at Su Qingge with a lewd look in his eyes.
"President Su, no matter what, we've worked together for a while. Let me give you a piece of advice: discretion is the better part of valor. You can't even imagine Zhou Shao's strength; a head-on confrontation won't benefit anyone."
As Li Tian spoke, he pulled out a formal termination contract that he had prepared in advance from his pocket and slammed it heavily on the desk in front of Su Qingge with a "thud".
He arrogantly raised his chin, his smile full of provocation.
"President Su, let's part ways amicably."
"The penalty for breach of contract has been prepared by the Dynasty, and you'll receive every penny. Hurry up and sign."